


A Song of Roaring Dragons

by PepperWithAPencil



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, there will be plenty of more characters involved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:21:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25999663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperWithAPencil/pseuds/PepperWithAPencil
Summary: A series of short scenes from an alternate universe where Rhaegar kidnapped another woman, not Lyanna. Exploring how it changes the world and the characters. Everything is different, yet so similar.
Kudos: 19





	A Song of Roaring Dragons

Lyanna enjoyed sitting on the iron throne.

When her husband was out hunting or whoring, it was the one thing that brought her joy. A little semblance of power in the loveless marriage she had been thrust into. She would take off her boots and walk to the throne barefoot, feeling the cold stone floor of the Red Keep tickling against her, and sit in it, pretending she was Robert. Sometimes she was joined by members of the Kingsguard, as Robert couldn't bring all of them with him on his escapades- perhaps two if he went hunting boars, likely none if he went hunting for women to sleep with.

Today she was joined by Ser Jaime Lannister, or as people called him behind his back, “the dishonorable” or “the oathbreaker”. Lyanna preferred to call him “lion cub”. With his golden hair and catlike green eyes, he could have easily won the heart of any woman in the Seven Kingdoms. And yet, it wasn't any highborn lady that had made him forget his honor for a night.

“Cub,” Lyanna teased. “Tell me something about that bastard of yours.”

Jaime's lips twisted, as if he wasn't sure whether to smile or frown. “What do you wish to know about him, my queen?”

“Tell me about the boy's mother.”

Jaime sighed. “That is a tale I believe we would all be better off forgetting about,” he replied.

“She must have been very special for you to forsake your Kingsguard vows,” Lyanna pointed out. “You don't appear to be the sort of man who would choose lust over duty.”

“You'd be surprised.”

Lyanna let out a laugh. “Is that so? I would expect my husband to – and he has, several times – but not you.”

“King Robert loves you.”

“My husband loves me until the pretty women show up,” Lyanna said bitterly. “Then he forgets about me for a few hours, until he bores of them and returns to my bed. Was that how you felt with the mother of your bastard, cub?”

Jaime swallowed. “No,” he admitted.

Lyanna tilted her head slightly, leaning it against the throne. “Then tell me about her.”

“She...” Jaime seemed discomforted. That armor weighed heavily, no doubt. “She was hateful.”

“Hateful?”

“Wroth, resentful, scheming, but not subtle enough to be cunning,” Jaime said. “Her plots would fail at every turn.”

“Plots?”

“Plots that would allow us to be together,” he explained. “She never succeeded.”

“But you held onto hope?”

“I did.” Jaime looked right into her eyes. She seemed to see herself in them for a moment. “I never gave up hope.”

Lyanna rocked back and forth in the throne, pondering. “Did she survive the war?”

“She did. Our love did not.”

“Why is she such a secret then?” Lyanna asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She knew the answer as soon as the question had left her mouth. “Your lord father disapproved, I suppose?”

“My father still believes the bastard is less of an embarrassment than my brother,” Jaime explained.

Lyanna bit her lip. “Robert has no shame over his bastards. He visits them regularly and has even expressed interest in bringing them to court when they come of age.”

“Will you allow it?” Jaime asked.

Lyanna shrugged. “A stain on my honor, my brother Brandon would have said.”

“Do you care for honor, my queen?”

“I care for love,” Lyanna replied. “Had I known my husband had bastards-” She stopped herself from continuing the sentence. Jaime may be understanding of her situation, but if someone else overheard it could be interpreted as treasonous. “I did not expect to need to share him,” Lyanna finished. “However, I also did not expect him to sit on this throne.”

“Or yourself to sit on it,” Jaime reminded her with a grin. Her small rebellious acts didn't escape him. If Eddard could see her now he would have been livid. “Aerys' days were numbered, I knew so already back then,” Jaime continued, seemingly nostalgic. “We half-expected his councilors to do him in themselves. There were nights I-” Jaime stopped himself. “The Mad King was not kind to his queen,” he said.

“And the kingsguard protect the king, not the queen,” Lyanna said with a sigh. “I understood that from Robert's drunken visits to me.” Something ignited in Jaime's eyes at those words. “Why, you know, don't you?”

“I prayed I was wrong,” Jaime replied.

Lyanna shook her head. “Men act different once they've had a cup of wine or two. Surely the Mad King was even worse, given how he treated his subjects.”

“The queen wouldn't allow the maester to treat her wounds,” Jaime said.

Lyanna frowned. Pycelle gave her shivers as well. She had only called for him once. “Was Rhaegar as brutal?” she asked. Jaime looked away from her. “Forgive me, this must be hard to talk about.”

“My sister has done well in spite of the kidnapping,” Jaime answered. “My father is already arranging a marriage for her.”

Lyanna smiled. Maiden or not, Cersei Lannister was a beauty, and a marriage to her meant securing a non-aggression pact with the Lannisters, which was almost as valuable as their gold. Robert had laid his eyes on Cersei once, but Lyanna had yanked him away by force, reminding him what the poor woman must have gone through while captive. Not that she could blame him, of course. Her eyes fell on Jaime again. Had she not wed Robert... had he not been of the Kingsguard... perhaps...

Lyanna sat up, her buttocks hurting from sitting on the throne. Swords did not make for comfortable seats. Her feet met the floor, cold as ice, reminding her of home again. “Cub, will you carry me to my chambers?”

Jaime furrowed his brow. “Are your legs hurting, my queen?”

“I forgot covering my feet,” Lyanna said, lifting her bare feet up to show him, wigging her toes. She giggled as Jaime sighed. He picked her up, legs in one arm and back in another. The steel of his armor bothered her, but she had no complaints about the closeness of his face.

“If Robert saw this, he would have me gelded and sent to the wall,” Jaime said as they walked.

“My husband is understanding,” Lyanna said, grinning at Jaime. “Your queen has cold feet, surely his mighty protectors should be helping her?” She then sighed, realizing the answer to her question again. “The kingsguard protect the king, not the queen.”

Jaime bit his lip. “I suppose we can make an exception as the king is hunting,” he said, carrying her over the doorstep of the royal bedchamber. Lyanna gazed into his eyes, curling some strands of her hair with one finger. Jaime, seemingly oblivious to her message, placed her onto her bed, and stepped away. There was not a single trace of sweat on her forehead. _He's strong_ , Lyanna thought. Perhaps not as strong as Robert, but he provided her with safety her royal husband couldn't. “Will that be all, my queen?”

“I don't know, cub, it gets lonely up here.”

“Shall I summon your handmaiden?”

Lyanna crossed her legs, pouting. _The woman he had forgotten his duty for before must have been a once in a lifetime beauty_ , she thought. “My husband should be here,” she complained instead, laying down on the bed. The sheets were warm and soft, but nothing compared to the blankets of fur the servants sewed for her at Winterfell.

“Is it company in the bed you're after, my queen?”

Lyanna was tempted to say yes, but it wouldn't be the full truth. It wasn't lust, not truly. “No,” she finally said.

“Then what should I send for?” Jaime asked.

Lyanna looked at him. His face showed concern for her, but his body language showed withdrawal. “Love,” she confessed in a low voice.

Jaime gave her a weak smile, and then shook his head. “A word of advice, my queen,” he said, holding onto his left arm with his right arm, as if to defend himself. “The love you heard about in the songs growing up is a lie.”

“You have only been with one woman,” Lyanna pointed out. “And you loved her so much you put your life at risk to simply be with her. Isn't that love?”

“Love,” Jaime repeated in a bitter tone of voice. “You know what she did after I gave her everything?”

Lyanna shook her head.

“She spread her legs for another man and had his bastard,” Jaime said. “I kept my mouth shut to protect her honor. Just as I will keep my mouth shut about our conversation to protect yours.”

“Mayhaps she didn't love you as much as you loved her,” Lyanna said. “However, that doesn't mean I-”

Jaime smiled sadly. “My queen, what do you believe would happen if I were to climb into your bed with you now?”

“Joy.”

“And when the king returns from hunting?”

Lyanna paused, dreading having to prove him correct. “Your head on a spike.”

Jaime nodded. “Now, if you truly held affection for me, would you put me in a situation where I could be beheaded?”

“No,” Lyanna admitted. “I suppose I would not.”

With that said, Jaime turned around to leave her chamber. However, he stopped in his tracks and turned around at the last second. “One last thing, my queen.”

“Yes?”

Jaime's eyes seemed to change in color, from green as the grass to green as poison. “I may not be able to protect you from the king. Howbeit, I can protect you from everyone else.”

Lyanna rolled her eyes. “I can protect myself from the others,” she said proudly.

“Then I will be here to assist you.” Jaime gave her a smile. Lyanna felt as if her heart was going to pound out of her chest. As he turned his back against her, bringing the door with him, Lyanna fell back in bed, holding back the urge to weep.

 _Someday_ , Lyanna thought. _Someday I will get what I want._


End file.
